iPad 3 Rumor Roundup: Specs Leaked, Amazon Hints at March 29 Launch

Rumors have been circulating for months about the next-generation iPad. Now they’re really ramping up. Wednesday saw the release of its supposed specs, and when it could arrive.

Boy Genius Reportclaimed a source had an iPad 3 prototype, and sent the tech site various development images that reveal more information about the device and its components.

Meanwhile, Amazon added two iPad 3 books to its European site — Ipad 3 pour les nuls, or iPad 3 for Dummies in French, and Auf die Schnelle iPad 3, which is German for iPad 3 on the Fly, according to a report from GameZone.com. iPad 3 for Dummies is scheduled to be published on March 29.

As for the specs, the images obtained by BGR show data points to model numbers J1 and J2, which refers to “iPad3,1″ and “iPad3,2.” This indicates that the iPad could be made available in two different versions — one for Wi-Fi and one perhaps with Wi-Fi and GSM/CDMA/LTE.

“From the data in the photos, which contain the output from an iPad 3 using a development and debug tool called iBoot, we can infer plenty of information about the upcoming iPad 3,” BGR said.

The images also show that Apple could be using a new processor called A6 (model number S5L8945X). This will likely be a powerful and extremely fast quad-core model.

It’s still unknown when the next-generation iPad could be unveiled. Speculations about a February or March announcement date have been making the rounds throughout the web for some time now. This is also in line with the company’s product launch cycle.

Although the images show that the device is being called the iPad 3, there was previously no indication that the latest tablet from Apple would even be called that. A recent report from iLoungenoted that a prototype of the new version of the Apple tablet was at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show and that it looked almost identical to the iPad 2, so many speculated that Apple could be releasing an iPad HD with only a few updates from the iPad 2.

However, Bloomberg recently reported that the next-generation iPad will be faster – running on a quad-core chip – feature a high-definition screen and be compatible with long-term evolution (LTE), a wireless network that gives users access to data more quickly.

Are you excited for the next-generation iPad? What do you expect it to be like? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

8 Rumors About the iPad 3: What It Could Look Like, When It Could Arrive

1. Minor Upgrades

iLounge recently reported that it saw a prototype of the next-generation iPad at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and that it looks just like the iPad 2, only thicker by about 1 mm. The camera in the top left corner is expected to be a bit larger than the iPad 2 and similar to the improved camera featured on the iPhone 4S.

It’s also been rumored that the next-generation iPad will have a high-resolution screen – possibly even double dpi — and a stronger interior. However, the updates seen by iLounge seem to be more cosmetic than structural. Could the next-generation device be an upgrade similar to that of the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S?